Parque Nacional Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil
Parque Nacional Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil
Date: April 12 - 21, 2024
Price: $8,995 USD
Initial Deposit: $2,695
2nd Deposit of $2,695 due six months before tour start date
10-Day 4WD tour (with 20 minutes of walking to explore the dune complex for best compositions)
Lençóis Maranhenses national park is a sand dune and lagoon complex that covers 1,500 km2.
During our time together, we will be based in a number of villages at the perimeter of the national park. Each morning and evening we will travel into the nearby dune complex by 4WD (roughly 30 minutes).
The entire tour will use a combination of 4WD, speed boat and (some light) trekking to visit the dune complex. The area is vast and the landscape varies from regions that have small lagoons to other regions where the lagoons are the size of large lakes and also contain some of the largest dunes in the park.
The majority of the dunes we will visit will be by 4WD. We will travel in an open-top vehicle and it may be bumpy!
There is some light trekking from the car to the lagoon’s perimeter to shoot. Sometimes you may wish to walk around the lagoons we visit. So being able to walk on sand with your camera bag and up some occasional slopes is a must for this trip. There is nothing too hard for people with regular mobility and fitness.
Accommodation is a mixture of nice hotels and some lovely guesthouses that are situated around the perimeter of the national park. The majority of them have Internet, but we will be staying in one place where there is limited internet access for approximately 2 days.
The scenery here is beautifully abstract, with soft tones abound, we will maximise our time to be on-location for early morning and sunsets. The light can often be short at around 20 minutes for each visit, so being on location and finding the right aspect view is paramount.
4WD tour, with a small bit of trekking involved
Most of the dunes we will visit, will be by 4WD. To get the most out of the scenery, you just need to have some regular fitness. For most people this trip would be very easy as we are just walking over slopes and dunes for around 20 minutes.
Although we will drive right into the heart of the dunes, we will still need to walk up some steep inclines, or move further into the lagoons to find our best compositions.
We drive in open top Toyota Hilux vehicles. We are often driving up and down slopes, so this tour is maybe not best for anyone who suffers from car sickness.
A daily outline
The focus of this trip is to be on location for sunrise and sunset. The light is often short with maybe 30 minutes to 1 hour to shoot in. So the major focus will be on sunrise and sunsets.
We will leave our accommodation each morning around 4:30am, with a 30 minute 4WD journey into the lagoons. Once there, the best light is between 5am and 6:15am. So you have some time to make some shots pre-dawn. The light is often over by around 6:15am upon which we will return to the hotel for breakfast. Similarly, we will leave our accommodation around 4pm to enter into the dune complex a little early. I prefer to be on location with enough time to find the best shots before the light is good. The sunset is often over by 7:15pm. We will return to the hotel (30 minutes away) to have dinner for 8:30pm.
During the daytimes, we will have an assortment of things to do, from boat trips to get us to new lagoons, or moving accommodation to another part of the park.
Informal small group setting
Bruce likes to run his photography-adventures in a friendly, intimate group setting. This trip has a maximum group size of seven.
Unlike a lot of tours with up to 12 or 16 people on them, running with a smaller number allows everyone to have space in which to photograph. It also means more quality time for Bruce with each participant.
This trip is more of a tour* than Bruce's normal workshops, due to the logistics involved, but you will get a lot of hands on experience from Bruce while at the same time, immerse yourself with plenty of time out in the field on your own.
* Please note that this is not a workshop. It is a photographic tour, focussed on getting you to great locations for the best light.
Payment Terms
Three incremental payments:• Initial Depost of 30% is required to secure your booking.
• Second deposit of 30% six months before the start date.
• Final balance due 3 months before tour start date.
Cancellation Policy
The deposit should be regarded as non-refundable, as we have to pay a deposit to our 3rd party suppliers (hotels, studio spaces, tour operators, guides, etc.) in advance to guarantee the services we have booked on your behalf. In the event of a cancellation initiated by you, should there be any costs that are refundable, we will do our utmost to make a refund to you. All cancellations incur a £250 administrative fee (deducted from any refund) for covering the resources involved in the refilling process.Second Deposit & Final Balance
There is a 2nd deposit required six months before the trip commencement date. The final balance is due 3 months prior to trip departure.Your space is only secured if payment is made on time. We reserve the right to cancel your space if we cannot get in touch with you or your final payment is past due.
Terms & conditions
Please feel free to read our terms & conditions
Getting There / Flight Arrival / Departure
The tour starts and ends in the city of Sâo Luís.
Flight Connections
You would arrive in Brazil either at Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, and then take an internal connection up to Sao Luis where you will be met by a private transfer.
We expect you to arrive on the 12th for the first night in Sâo Luís, and the last evening of the tour is on the 20th, with departure any time on the 21st of May.
Arrival & Departure Dates
• Arrive Sâo Luís on the 12th of May
• Depart Sâo Luís on the 21st of May
What's included
• 9 Nights Bed & Breakfast
• 2 Nights in single room in Sao Luis
• 7 Nights in single room in local town guesthouse
• 1 Evening Dinner
• 3 Lunches
• 9 Breakfasts
• Local Guide
• One to One Guidance & Group Guidance
• Single Room occupancy (in hotels)
• Snacks & water during the trek
What's Not included
Please budget for meals not included below. Most places have card payment systems except for one of the towns we are staying in. Some Brazilian Real would be ideal (do not bring US Dollars).Budget for around $400 USD.• 5 Lunches
• 7 Dinners
What to Bring
The climate is warm and sunny.
• Set of graduated filters
• Set of ND filters to smooth down water and clouds
• Sun Hat / Sun Glasses, Sun Cream
• Long sleeved shirt, Shorts, Sandals
• Money for meals not included / tips
• Dry bag / sealable bag to store passport and wallet
Tipping Culture
Please note that Brazil has a tipping culture. I think it’s nice for you to be able to express your gratitude to the drivers and guides you meet. Tips are purely discretionary, and you should give what you feel you want to. But each year everyone asks me ‘how much’. If you do wish to tip, then I would suggest somewhere between $5 to $10 USD for the driver, and the same again for the guide. You can pay this in Brazilian Real.